[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 25275]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1415
                    ABC/WASHINGTON POST POLL BIASED

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, a poll is reliable only if its 
questions are unbiased.
  A new ABC/Washington Post poll says that most Americans support a 
public option for health insurance, but the poll question was slanted 
and characterized a public option as a way to increase competition. 
There is no mention that a public option could increase premiums, 
reduce choices, and raise taxes.
  In June, the same poll also asked respondents whether they would 
still support a public option if it made private health insurers go out 
of business. Support dropped to 37 percent. It's no wonder ABC and the 
Washington Post omitted that question from its most recent poll.
  Furthermore, though it wasn't emphasized, the poll actually revealed 
that the American people oppose the Democrats' changes in the health 
care system by 48 to 45 percent. The media should present the facts, 
not slant the questions and the news.

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